A New Bird

Out of habit, I scan the tall snag that presides over the big field by the ocean. I've seen many a hawk up there over the years, but this is a much smaller lump way out at the end of the broken branch, more the size of a dove. As far as I can figure out, it's a kestrel--nothing else seems to have that distinctive black striped mask. I figure it must be a youngster because it doesn't have the red coloring that appears in all the reference photos. As I watch, it dives straight down into the field, then up again; hard to say if it caught something. My little camera has a remarkable zoom--I'm quite far away from the old tree, and the bird is very far up; the image isn't as crisp as I'd like, but I'm excited to see a new bird. Hope I've got the name right.